Crash and Burn
by MarzBarz
Summary: Ban and Ginji get in a car accident that leaves one of them seriously injured. I realize how unlikely it is that Ban would ever get in a car accident, but it could happen. First published fic, so please read and review! NOW OFFICIALLY COMPLETED
1. The Accident

Author's note-Sorry I really really suck at titles! Anyways, Ban might seem a little OOC in this but this is the way I see him reacting to an event like this. This is technically my third fic, but it's the first one I'm publishing, hope you enjoy it!

CRASH AND BURN

Ban looked around him groggily, trying to make the world stop its unnatural spinning. He was slightly confused as to where he was and what had happened to make everything seem so weird.

Suddenly, he recognized his surroundings as the twisted remains of his precious Miss Ladybug, and the memories of what had happened flooded back in. Ban had been driving down a routine stretch of road, not even going too outrageously over the speed limit, when the car had suddenly hit a patch of black ice and spun out. Despite Ban's best efforts to correct, the car had careened off the road, heading straight for a tree. Ban could vaguely remember hearing a scream that wasn't his as the car headed straight for the tree, and he remembered the car rebounding off the tree, and a sickening snap that sounded like it had come from somewhere far too close to him. The only other sound he remembered was the shattering of glass, which meant the windshield was probably busted.

Ban suddenly realized what "scream that wasn't his" meant; it meant that there had been someone else in the car. Ban concentrated, trying to remember who was with him, and his breath caught in his throat as he realized.

"GINJI!" Ban yelled, desperate to find his friend. Ban finally looked up and saw the giant hole in the windshield right in front of the passenger seat, some of the tips of the glass shards coated in blood. The seatbelt on the passenger side had been ripped apart, and there was no airbag on that side.

In a panic, Ban tried to grip his door with his left hand and force it open. Instead, he fell back against his seat, biting back a scream of pain as it registered that the strange snapping sound he heard had been his left arm breaking.

_At least it wasn't the right arm, so I can still call on Asclepius if I have to,_ Ban thought as he twisted to open the door with his unbroken right arm. AS soon as Ban made it out of the twisted wreckage that was his car, he immediately began searching for his missing partner.

"GINJI!!! Ginji, where are you?" Ban screamed desperately. Judging by the hole in the windshield, Ginji must have flown straight forward after the impact, barely missing the tree thanks to the rebound, but Ban had no idea how far his friend may have been launched.

As he continued searching, Ban saw something that made his heart almost stop in his chest. Lying in a small clearing was an unmoving lump of green, blonde, and red.

"GINJI!" Ban yelled, panicking as he ran towards his friend, desperately thinking _Please no he can't be dead please not Ginji not him please not Ginji._ When he got to his fallen partner, Ban immediately dropped to his knees and began checking Ginji's pulse and injuries, softly calling his partner's name as he worked. Ginji's pulse was very faint, and he was barely breathing. Ban carefully rolled his friend over, his breath catching in his throat as he saw a long gash across Ginji's side that must have happened when the blonde was shot through the windshield.

Ban quickly tore off the bottom of his shirt and bandaged the wound, then checked on the rest of Ginji's injuries. It looked like the young blonde had broken his arm and possibly dislocated his shoulder when he was thrown from the car, and cuts covering his face and limbs. A large bump was swelling on Ginji's forehead that was probably where the blonde had struck the windshield.

"Ginji, wake up, please, just open your eyes," Ban said as he tended to his friend, begging his unconscious partner to wake up. When there was no response, Ban's eyes began filling with tears.

"Please, man, don't do this to me, you can't leave me, there's no 'S' without you, dammit Ginji, open your goddamn eyes!"

As he talked, Ban realized that he had yet to call 911 and get help for his friend. Ban frantically searched for his cell phone and in a panic hit the send button without actually dialing any numbers. The last number he had called was the Honky Tonk, and when Paul picked up, Ban simply explained everything that had happened in a rush, barely pausing for breath. When the explanation finished, Paul was frozen in shock for a few seconds before leaping into action.

"Ban, stay put, I'm gonna get you some help, don't worry, everything is gonna be ok," the café owner said as he hung up and called 911.

Ban hung up, and checked on his partner, who was still unconscious. The blonde's breathing seemed shallower than before, and when Ban checked his friend's pulse, it seemed slower than it had been. "Ginji, come on, stay with me, please, I can't do this without you," Ban said as tears began to slide down his cheeks. The young brunette gripped his partner's hand as if that would anchor him to the world of the living.

When the ambulance arrived under 10 minutes later, Ginji's pulse and breathing were both frighteningly weak. Ban was sitting with his head on his knees, still holding his partner's hand.

Paul had followed the ambulance, and he laid a comforting hand on Ban's shoulders. The young brunette was shaking with quiet sobs, and Paul tried to calm Ban down while paramedics placed Ginji's unconscious form on a stretcher and lifted him into an ambulance.

"Ban, you know how strong Ginji is. He'll be fine, and would be telling you to get yourself taken care of too. Your arm is looking pretty bad." Ban realized, as a medic led him to another ambulance, that he had completely forgotten about his arm in his desperation to save Ginji, and had used it without noticing the pain.

"I'm fine!" Ban snapped, glaring at both Paul and the medic who was helping him. "You should be helping Ginji! He's dying, I know he is, but he can't die, without Ginji there's no 'S' and no 'S' means no Getbackers and I can't lose my best friend!"

Ban's tears began to fall again, and Paul pulled the sobbing brunette into a comforting hug. Ban leaned into the embrace, burying his face in Paul's shoulder and soaking the older man's shirt in tears.

Paul gently guided his young friend to the ambulance. "Ban, listen to me. Ginji would want you to get yourself taken care of too, and you know it. I'm sure that even in the state he's in he's worried about you, and he needs to be focusing on getting better himself, so you need to make sure he has no reason to worry. You've gotta let the medics take care of you," Paul said soothingly as Ban's sobs lessened.

Straightening up and wiping his eyes, Ban let the medic help him into the ambulance. The ride to the hospital was a blur for Ban. He vaguely remembered a medic splinting his arm and putting him in a brace in an attempt to restrict his movement and prevent him injuring his ribs further. What he recalled most was the empty feeling in the back of his mind. Instead of the bright, energetic presence of his partner, Ban could only feel a small presence, horribly weak and fragile, that seemed to be barely holding on.

Once the ambulances arrived at the hospital Ginji was rushed to the emergency room while Ban was taken elsewhere, despite his protests that he wanted to be with his friend. Ban was shuffled to a room and quickly patched up more formally.

Paul arrived as the young man was being released, and the two of them sat together in the waiting room. Other friends of the Getbackers (of Ginji, really, Ban thought) slowly started to fill the waiting room.

As time wore on, Paul glanced over to see Ban's head starting to droop, the adrenaline from the crash finally wearing off, although the young man was fighting to stay awake.

"It's ok if you sleep, Ban," Paul said quietly. "You've been through a lot today, and some rest would do you good."

"But I can't fall asleep til I know Ginji's ok," Ban mumbled. "He's been in there too long."

Paul sighed, an exasperated look on his face. "Ban, it won't make a difference whether you're awake or asleep while he's in surgery. I'll wake you up when someone comes out to tell us about him."

Ban tried to argue, but his body agreed with Paul, and his eyes slid closed before he could answer. Paul smiled fondly at the sleeping brunette using his shoulder as a makeshift pillow. After a while, he turned to the nurse and asked for news about the other half of the retrieval team.

"The young blonde? He's expected to pull through, despite losing a lot of blood. He was fading when they brought him in, but the doctors are fairly certain that he'll make it. If he survives the night, he'll be fine," the nurse told him.

Ban had stirred at the sound of Ginji's name, and he shot to attention when he heard the nurse's news. The tense aura in the waiting room noticeably relaxed as the crowd processed that their friend would probably be fine.

"Can I see him?" Ban asked hopefully. "Only family is allowed to see the patient at the moment," the nurse told him; the two boys looked so different she thought there was no way they could be related.

"But…" Ban started to argue, but Paul interrupted him, telling the nurse "This young man is Ginji's brother, and he's very worried. Naturally he should be allowed to visit his injured brother." "Of course," The nurse replied, slightly taken aback. "However, the rest of you will need to wait until visiting hours. Please follow me, sir."

Ban hastily stood up and trailed after the nurse, shooting Paul a grateful look. Paul smiled and made a "Go on, go on" gesture with his hand.

Once they were outside Ginji's room, the nurse turned to Ban and said "You may go in, but please be quiet. The patient is resting and we don't want you to disturb him."

Ban nodded then slipped through the door without making a sound. Steeling himself for what he would see, Ban turned and silently made his way to Ginji's bedside, examining his partner's sleeping form.

Ginji's head was wrapped in bandages, and his neck was in a brace. More bandages flowed from beneath the brace, covering the rest of his visible torso. Ginji's arms were wrapped in bandages, and his right arm was in a cast. The rest of the blonde's body was covered in blankets and a hospital gown, and Ban was grateful that he didn't have to see any more of the damage to his partner's body; it already hurt more than enough to see what he could.

If it weren't for the fact that he was lying in a hospital bed, barely clinging to life, Ginji's mummy-like appearance would have cracked Ban up. Instead, guilt swept through Ban, pushing away the relief that Ginji was alive and in one piece.

Ban dragged a chair next to his partner's bed and sat, affectionately running his hand through the soft blonde spikes. "Damn, you had me scared for a while, stupid eel," Ban murmured softly. Gripping his sleeping partner's hand gently, Ban settled in to wait for Ginji to wake up.


	2. Please Wake Up

Authors Note-This chapter is way short, but it seemed like a good splitting point. I'm trying to break it into manageable chunks.

CRASH AND BURN

It was mid-morning when visiting hours began and the rest of Ginji's friends were let into his room. Ban looked up as the door opened, still holding his partner's hand and occasionally playing with his limp blonde spikes. The dark pits under Ban's eyes showed he hadn't slept all night.

"He hasn't woken up," Ban informed the group as they crowded into the small room. "The doctors don't know when he will." Ban's voice wavered as he stressed the _when_, but he kept his composure, turning back to face the bed.

Paul walked over and squeezed the young man's shoulder reassuringly. "He'll wake up, Ban. You know something like this isn't enough to keep Ginji down for long."

Ban nodded, but kept his gaze focused on his partner's face, squeezing Ginji's hand as if the action would bring his friend back faster.

The rest of the group slowly dispersed; they were more Ginji's friends than Ban's, and none of them wanted to see him looking so helpless. Soon only Paul and Ban were left watching the sleeping blonde.

Ban hadn't left Ginji's side since he had gotten to the room, ignoring his stomach when it made his hunger known. Paul noticed, and went to get food for himself and Ban.

"Come on now, you've got to eat or you're going to end up in the hospital too," Paul said when he returned, handing Ban a bowl of udon. Ban nodded his thanks and ate quickly; his hunger had never registered, drowned out by his concern for Ginji.

Eventually Paul returned to the Honky Tonk, leaving Ban alone with his best friend. Several hours passed, and Ban couldn't hold back his emotions any longer.

"Yo, Ginji, it's time to wake up, man! You've been asleep for way too long. I'm starting to get lonely here, so wake up!" Desperation tinged Ban's voice as his worry overwhelmed him. It had been far too long since Ban had heard his partner's voice and seen his partner's big brown eyes.

Ban didn't want to think about the possibility that his partner would never wake up again, just stay in a coma for the rest of his life. Leaning over, he pressed a tender kiss to his partner's forehead and grasped Ginji's hand tighter, settling back into the chair to watch over the blonde as he slept.


	3. Everything Is OK

Authors Note-Here's the end! Hope you liked the story, once again sorry if Ban seems a little OOC to you but its how I see him acting. Anyways, on with the story!

CRASH AND BURN

A week went by in the blink of an eye, with no change in Ginji's condition. Ban started taking solo jobs; he had to make money to pay Ginji's hospital bills. He made sure the jobs he took were quick and easy so he could stay with Ginji as much as possible. Ban was even careful about where he parked, trying to make sure he didn't waste money bailing out his new Subaru 360.

As time passed, Ban's arm healed, and both he and Ginji's repaired limbs came out of their casts. Instead of a blonde mummy, it was the normal, healthy-looking Ginji Amano that slept in the hospital bed.

Although the lack of bandages made Ban feel a bit better, it was still painful to see his best friend laying there, looking so peaceful and helpless. Ginji looked far too much like a corpse sometimes; the steady rise and fall of his chest was the only thing that told Ban his partner was alive.

The night after an unusually difficult mission, seeing Ginji laying there, looking so weak and lifeless, struck Ban harder than it usually did. He felt a lump starting to form in his throat as he walked to the chair by the bed, sitting down and holding his partner's hand the way he always did.

Ban started telling his sleeping friend about his latest mission, trying to give his partner a reason to wake up.

"Hey Gin, I'd say it's about time you woke up, wouldn't you? I really needed you on this job. The security system I had to get around was a pain in the ass; your electricity would've handled it much better…" Ban rambled on about the job, the lump in his throat growing until he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Ginji, please wake up. I miss you. I need you beside me. I don't want to be alone any more, it's like I'm losing the 'S'. Please you have to wake up!" Ban whispered hoarsely as tears began to spill from his eyes.

Squeezing Ginji's hand, the young brunette rested his head on the mattress, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Ban was so swept away by his sudden emotional outburst that he almost didn't notice when Ginji's hand weakly squeezed back.

Ban's head shot up as Ginji's eyes slowly opened. Ban thought he would explode with relief when he saw those chocolate brown eyes again.

"Ban-chan?" Ginji said softly, his face lighting up as he smiled at his friend. Ban had to restrain himself from pouncing on his partner in happiness, leaning back in his chair and quickly wiping his eyes.

"About time you woke up, idiot. How're you feeling?"

"I feel fine Ban-chan!" Ginji said, grinning like a little kid. "I feel sorta stiff, like I haven't moved in a while, but it's not that bad."

Ban rolled his eyes at his partner's definition of fine, which tended to include some assortment of aches and pains. "That's because you've been in a coma for around a month," he explained, looking at his feet as a wave of guilt hit him.

"Oh," Ginji said. "That would explain it. I sorta remember what happened before I guess I passed out, but it's all really fuzzy…we were on our way to a job, and then…AH! Are you ok Ban-chan? Did you get hurt too?"

"I'm fine, moron," Ban said, still staring at the floor. "It was a car accident; really it was my fault. I lost control of the car and we went off the road and hit a tree…and you got thrown out of the car." Ban dropped his head into his hands, feeling guiltier than ever. "I'm so sorry, Ginji. I should've had better control, should've made sure the seatbelts were solid. I'm sorry I let you get hurt like this."

Ginji reached out and gently squeezed Ban's shoulder, trying to comfort his friend. "Come on Ban-chan, it's not your fault this happened, and if you weren't there to help me I probably would have died. So don't beat yourself up like this, ok?"

When Ban nodded, raising his eyes to look at Ginji, the young blonde smiled at him. "All right," Ban replied, smiling a little himself; nobody could resist Ginji's smile for long.

"Time for the doctor to come check you out," the brunette said, leaning around his friend to push a button that would summon a doctor. Ginji's eyes filled with fear at the thought of Ban leaving him, but the brunette smiled reassuringly and ruffled the blonde spikes. "I'll be here until they come, and I'll stay right outside until they leave, and I'll come in the second they finish," Ban said soothingly. Ginji nodded and lay back down on the hospital bed, relaxing a little.

After a few minutes the doctors came in, and Ban was shooed out. An hour later one of the doctors let Ban back into Ginji's room. The first thing he saw when he entered the room was Ginji's blinding smile.

"Ban-chan guess what! They said I'm ok and they're gonna let me out tomorrow!" Ginji said, practically bouncing with excitement.

Ban grinned, slightly amazed that anyone could manage to bounce on a hospital bed, although he had to admit that if anyone could do it Ginji could. He turned to the doctor, who confirmed what Ginji had said. Ban sat down in his chair again as the last doctor left the room.

"Isn't this great Can-chan? I get to leave and we can go back to the Honky-Tonk and start working again! Plus I miss the Ladybug, the hospital bed is cozy but the car feels more like home," Ginji said brightly.

"Gin…the ladybug is gone," Ban said, guilt hitting him again. "She got totally trashed in the accident. Guess this is what I get for reckless driving; I almost lost both my partners at the same time." Ban stared out the window of Ginji's room, struggling to control his emotions.

"Ban-chan, I'm sorry about the ladybug," Ginji said comfortingly, frantically trying to think of some way to distract Ban-chan from his bad mood. Ginji hated it when his friend wouldn't look at him; it usually meant Ban-chan was dwelling on something and he only dwelled on something bad.

The brunette didn't even look up, and his voice was soft when he spoke again. "You scared me, man. I thought you weren't going to wake up again, and I'd be alone." Ban shuddered as an image of Ginji in the clearing ran through his head; there had been a time when Ban had been positive his best friend was dead.

Ginji grabbed his friend's chin, making the brunette face him. "I'm not going to leave you alone, Ban-chan." Ginji tried to lever himself out of the hospital bed, wincing slightly as his stiff limbs protested against the sudden movement. Ban was at his side instantly, gently pushing the weak blonde back down.

"Moron, you just came out of a coma. You shouldn't be trying to get up yet," Ban said, concern in his eyes and voice. Ginji allowed himself to be pushed onto the bed, then grabbed Ban's arm as the brunette tried to back away.

"But you shouldn't be sad, Ban-chan! I'm perfectly fine. When I leave tomorrow we can get a new ladybug and a new job and everything will be back to normal." Ginji smiled at his partner, and Ban couldn't help smiling in return; he was a sucker for that smile.

"I already got the new ladybug covered," Ban said, sitting back down.

"Yay!" Ginji said, still smiling. He yawned tiredly, sinking back into the mattress and pillows.

"Alright then, time for you to get some rest," Ban told his partner. He stifled a laugh at the weak "But 'm not tired Ban-chan," that came from his friend as the blonde snuggled into the blankets and promptly fell asleep.

Once Ginji had begun to snore softly, Ban leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. Settling back into his chair, he watched over his sleeping partner until he fell asleep himself, a small, content smile on his face.


	4. Ginji's POV

Author's Note- This time the story is from Ginji's POV instead of Ban's. It just kinda popped into my head one day, sorry if it's not quite as good but it was begging to be written.

CRASH AND BURN

Ginji screamed, holding on to the car door for dear life as the Ladybug spun out of control. Ban was letting loose a stream of curses, occasionally switching to German, as he wrestled with the wheel. Ginji saw his partner's blue eyes widen and turned to see the car heading for a tree.

The Ladybug bounced against the tree, the impact slamming Ginji hard into his seatbelt, which tore apart from the impact, sending him flying through the windshield.

Ginji gasp in pain as a jagged edge tore deep into his side. He attempted to twist his arm around to hold the gaping wound.

Suddenly he hit the ground hard and heard a sickening snapping sound come from his arm. Then he was bouncing and skidding over the ground, his shoulder torn out of its socket by a protruding rock. Ginji screamed soundlessly, the pain stealing his voice.

Slowly the blonde skidded to a halt in a small clearing, now covered in cuts and bruises. Looking around weakly, he could register nothing but the pain washing over every inch of his body.

As his vision slowly went black, Ginji's last thought was "Ban…chan…"

Ginji was surrounded by darkness, desperately trying to find a way out. As time went on, he had steadily grown more and more panicked.

Where was Ban-chan? Ginji knew something was wrong; his partner must have noticed he was gone, so why hadn't Ban found him yet? Ban-chan always came when Ginji needed him!

Ginji wandered in the darkness, still calling Ban's name. Every now and then it felt like someone was squeezing his hand or stroking his hair, but the sensation was gone immediately. A while ago it had even sounded like someone was talking to him, but their voice was too soft for Ginji to make out the words.

The squeezing sensation came again, and Ginji desperately latched on to it, trying to use it to escape the darkness. He squeezed back as hard as he could, and was rewarded with the realization that he could feel another hand in his.

Ginji realized that he could feel something against his back. It felt like a mattress, but this only confused the blonde; why would he be on a mattress? The mattress seemed to be shaking, too, which only confused Ginji even more.

Ginji tensed when he heard someone sobbing next to him. He tried to open his eyes (_When did I close them?_ he wondered) so he could see who it was. It sounded a lot like Ban-chan, but why would Ban-chan be crying?

Ginji was growing more frantic as further attempts to open his eyes fail. He was now positive Ban-chan was the one crying, and he had to get up so he could make Ban-chan happy again. Ginji squeezed the hand (Ban-chan's hand?) clutching his and tried once more to open his eyes, this time with success.

Slowly his eyelids lifted to reveal a white hospital room. "Ban-chan?" he asked, his voice coming out softer than he intended. His throat felt weird, but he shoved the thought away and looked for his partner.

Ban was in a chair next to the bed, his cheeks covered in tears that he was roughly wiping at, probably thinking Ginji wouldn't notice them. Ginji smiled in relief when he saw his friend; now that the GetBackers were back together, everything was going to be fine.

Author's Note- Well, that's it. It ends around the middle of Chapter 3, so if you wanted a more definite ending, you can just go back and pick it up back there. Sorry if parts of the story don't match up with this, I tried to make them line up but I might have missed stuff! Thanks for reading!


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